Germanna Community CollegeStudent Body Summary

Written by Devon Geary

Devon Geary

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Germanna has a relatively large population of younger students who were home-schooled or are older, returning students who have families and full-time jobs. But, most students fall into three categories: those who want to complete an associate’s degree to find a higher-paying job, those who want to complete an associate’s and transfer to a four-year university, and those who simply want to stay on their parent's insurance policies. Most Germanna students are very welcoming and friendly and easy to talk to, and making friends isn't very difficult. The general student body embraces international and minority students, and many new students say they are surprised by how accepting Germanna's students are. This surprise comes because although the city of Fredericksburg is liberal, the surrounding areas have a bit of a conservative bent and tend to be less-than-accepting of minorities.

Overall, the College’s atmosphere is tolerant, friendly, and safe, and like every school, Germanna has its fair share of individualists. Some students try to wear bikini tops to class, some look like Luigi from the Mario Bros. video games, and some dress as seemingly arbitrary characters, like Hunter S. Thompson. Germanna students are clearly trying to find themselves and embrace a college student’s privilege to experiment. Students here often laugh at being in "13th grade" and complain about dealing with all of the drama associated with being in high school, but most are pleased with the student body and are happy to be studying here.